PERCY "CARL" GROVER Jr.

GROVER, JR., PERCY "CARL" of Birmingham dearly loved husband and father of three passed away December 9, 2012 at home. He was 86 years old. He was preceded in death by his wife, of 42 years, Patricia "Patsy" Collins Grover. He was also preceded in death by his parents Lucile Keife Grover and Percy Carl Grover, sr. He was born in Birmingham, AL , June 13, 1926. He was a member of St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church since 1955 and raised all his children and grandchildren to practice and love the Catholic faith. He lived in Birmingham his entire life, except for the WWII years where he lived in Hyattsville, MD., where his father worked with the War Department in Washington D.C. In Hyattsville, he served as a member of the Volunteer Fire Department. Upon returning to Birmingham, he worked for the Alabama Department of Forestry as a Forest Ranger. In 1951 he worked for Buffalo Rock to acquire business knowledge. In 1954 he opened his own business, Carl Grover Distributing Company which he ran until he was 83 years old. He received numerous salesman awards over the years including Salesman of the Year for each of the years 1973-1988 for Malco Products. He was involved in many civic activities. He volunteered for the Civil Defense and rescued many people from the flooding waters of Shades Creek. He was acknowledged by President Nixon for starting a mens volunteer group for the Emergency Room at Baptist Medical Center Montclair. He was Head Usher at St. Francis Xavier Church for 50 years. He chaired several fund raising committees for St. Francis Xavier Church. He was selected as a member of the original Eucharistic Ministers at St. Francis Xavier Church. He was a Lifetime Member of the Knights of Columbus. He developed the National Weather Net that was started by the Birmingham Amateur Radio Club Operators in Central Alabama. This service today is used throughout Alabama in conjunction with radio and Television Stations. He is survived by his three daughters: Dollie Grover Brice (Forrest), Marcie Grover Matte (Frank), Bee Grover Lewis (Mark) and seven grandchildren: Nathan Forrest Brice, Wesley Grover Brice, Marilyn Patricia "Tricia" Brice, Frank Thomas Matte, jr., Justin Grover Matte, Reed Anderson Matte, Adelaide Bowron Matte. The family appreciates the professional support given by caregivers: Latisha Thomas, Milleitha Dysart, Doris Price and the caring staff of Evercare Home Health and Hospice. A Memorial Mass will be held Tuesday, December 11th at 7:00p.m. at St. Francis Xavier Church. The family will greet friends before at 6:00 p.m. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to St. Francis Xavier Church, 2 Xavier Circle, Birmingham, AL 35213 or Friends of Winnataska, P O Box 59514 Birmingham, AL 35259.